Press releases

Boston Celtics and Sun Life Financial Team Up with the YMCAs of Greater Boston and Southern Maine for 2nd annual Fit to Win Program

SLPC 27059 01/16 (exp. 01/21)

Fit to Win continues to educate and empower New England youth to adopt healthy lifestyle habits

BOSTON, MA/PORTLAND, ME (January 19, 2016) – The Boston Celtics and Sun Life Financial have partnered once again for Fit to Win, a 4-week program aimed at improving the health and well-being of children, as well as promoting diabetes education. Timed to coincide with NBA Fit Week, this year’s program will expand from select YMCAs of Greater Boston to include YMCAs in Southern Maine. Throughout the program, children in grades 3 to 6 participate in daily workouts and are encouraged to maintain a nutritious diet and make healthy lifestyle choices, such as limiting TV or other screen time. With exciting Celtics-themed events and prizes, and involvement from Celtics players, the kids track their fitness and health activities while having fun and celebrating their accomplishments.

Greater Boston’s program will start this Thursday, January 21, at the Waltham YMCA. Over 100 kids from several local YMCA-affiliated schools will gather together for Draft Day to learn about their fitness activities and potential prizes, and then get “drafted” into the 2016 program. Southern Maine’s Fit to Win Draft Day will take place next Tuesday, January 26, at the Portland YMCA, and will include kids from neighboring New Gloucester, Freeport, and Biddeford. Fit to Win will culminate with a Championship Event celebration this March in both Boston and Southern Maine, where the participants will be recognized for their hard work and dedication in completing the program.

“We are proud to expand our Fit to Win program to include Maine this year,” Celtics Team President Rich Gotham said. “Last year we had 90 kids from around Greater Boston participate, along with visits from Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and other Celtics players. The team involvement, the support from Sun Life, and the kids’ boundless enthusiasm made last year’s Fit to Win a huge success. We look forward to seeing more great results this year.”

“The Celtics, YMCA and Sun Life have a shared passion for promoting health and wellness in Boston and Greater New England communities,” said Dan Fishbein, President, Sun Life Financial U.S. “Expanding Fit to Win to Southern Maine is a great way to mark the first full year of our newly opened Center for Healthy Work in Greater Portland, which works towards returning disabled workers to their jobs. In our industry we see first-hand the devastating effects that diabetes and its related health risks can have on people and their families, which is why education, especially early education, is such an important aspect of fighting the disease.”

The Fit to Win program is an extension of the diabetes prevention initiative #SunLifeDunkforDiabetes, a November campaign that has raised more than $170,000 for the YMCA of Greater Boston’s Diabetes Prevention Program. Fit to Win is a major component of Sun Life’s ongoing commitment to inform Americans about the risk factors and health consequences associated with the disease, and was launched in 2014 to focus on children and their need for early education about diabetes prevention, healthy living and fitness.

About the Boston Celtics
A charter member of the Basketball Association of America (which evolved into the National Basketball Association) since 1946, the Boston Celtics have won a record 17 NBA Championships, including eight (8) in a row from 1959–1966, winning their first title in 1957 and their most recent in 2008. The Celtics have long stood for equality, and respect, including hiring the first African American Coach and starting the first all black starting five. In addition, 35 former Celtics players, management or staff have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In December 2002 the team returned to local ownership for the first time since 1963. For more information on the Celtics, log on to www.celtics.com.

About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth products and services to individuals and corporate customers. The Sun Life Financial group of companies operates under the “Sun Life Financial” name strictly as a marketing name and no legal significance is expressed or implied. Sun Life Financial and its partners today have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bermuda. In the United States and elsewhere, insurance products are offered by members of the Sun Life Financial group that are insurance companies. In the United States, Sun Life Financial provides a range of products and services to employers and their employees, including Group and Voluntary Accident, Critical Illness, Dental, Disability, Life, and Stop-Loss insurance products. Sun Life Financial Inc., the holding company for the Sun Life Financial group of companies, is a public company. It is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance products for sale in the United States or elsewhere, and does not guarantee the obligations of its insurance company subsidiaries. Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE), and Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF. For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us.